Writing for Fun
December 2018
The Fairfield Company – Gerry Miller
My father had always said that for evil to triumph good people just had to do nothing. And so it had come to pass. I knew he was right and it haunted me for a lot of my life. I had spent a long time planning and at last chickens would come home to roost. The Fairfield Company held four properties in its portfolio one thing they had in common was that they all catered for what was now called the client group with vulnerabilities. One Special needs, the elderly, those without a voice. Jonathan Field did a halfway reasonable job of pretending to be a decent human being, people were so easily suckered in, or perhaps nobody wanted to know and that was the crux of the matter.
I had not always been fortunate in life but my life was changed the day that I bought that lucky dip. I had not told anyone as I really needed to think about it. My kids were hard working and were reaping the rewards of doing so. They wanted for nothing really, although you ask most people these days and they just want more, at least when Oliver asked he was genuinely hungry. My parents went into Sunny Bay together one of J.F.s homes for the elderly. Mum died very shortly after moving in, the doctor said it was a ‘heart attack’ and like idiots the family, especially me, failed to question it. After all old people die, Dad had always been the stronger one and the shock of losing mum hit him hard.
On our visits he appeared to be getting more and more confused, he did not like some of the staff and the manager he detested. When JF visited we tried to speak to him about her. But of course to no avail, I did not like him. So it was then that I started to look into the Fairfield Company, I had the money that I could put to good use so use it I did. The forensic accountant took a little while to find but Mark was good. He rooted through company house records and he suggested I put someone in to their head office to get a feel for things. Rachel was recommended by Mark and with the way that JF treated his staff she was soon appointed in the accounts dept in head office. Being a single parent gave me the opportunity to travel round and visit the other homes either pretending ‘my old mum’ or my ‘poor old dad’ needed a ‘home from home’.
After six months the three of us met up and the horror of the company unfolded before us. Each having only our information thought we had little enough to go on. Staffing levels were dire and only one qualified staff member was employed in each establishment. A climate of fear was evident within the staff, all paid cash in hand and only the quiet obedient staffs were given extra hours. Any questioning of food, patients routines, why 90% of the residents had bedsores, over medication etc, were strongly discouraged. Visiting was frowned upon unless prior notice was given, relatives being told that it was upsetting. Those staff who were inquisitive never seemed to last long. From Robert came a key bit of information in that the manager of each home was in some way connected to JF, these were the management team.
Mark, as our forensic accountant, had all the financial wheeling’s and dealings the most damming was the fact that all medications and drug supplies were ordered in from abroad and distributed from a central warehouse. Doctors were persuaded that patients seemed calmer and less unwell on other named products, were these GP’s too busy to notice. The cost saving was enormous and patient well being was not a consideration. Over the last five years at least one patient had died monthly in each home leaving their estate to ‘the good kind manager or to the home itself’. The management team was indeed very prosperous. By now I had raised so many complaints regarding my father’s care that I had been asked to remove my father from their care. After all they could see that he would not be changing his will or leaving a bequest to the home. As with others who moved before him, my father went to a home with activities and a higher patient staff ratio. My dad was safe but what about the other residents?
We had a long debate on what we should do. Mark pointed out that JF could declare himself bankrupt and could start up again in differing locations. His was morally bankrupt so would quickly find a new way of exploiting the vulnerable. Rachel identified JF as scheming, conniving and had many of the traits associated with being a sociopath, he exhibited no remorse or sense of shame. JF’s considerable superficial charm and above average intelligence together with his total self-centeredness and lack of attachments kept his businesses more than viable. The three of us were so concerned that the longer we left action the greater risk to their patients. At last I stated the obvious we had no choice but to put him out of business and stop him reopening in any way again. The decision was made we could see no alternative the problem was ‘How?’
Finally we agreed that the business needed to be terminated, as the most known to the Fairfield Company and being a long term thorn in their side, it was hoped that none of us would need an alibi. The logistics took weeks; all had a separate scheme and would implement it as we chose. Thus the remaining two would clearly know nothing; only an event within the timescales would allow us to know a plan had been activated. On the first day of the new year two of the managers were killed in a car crash going across Snakes Pass, they had both been out at a party celebrating, both victims were well over the limit and no questions were asked. The third manager died at the end of January leaving a suicide note that stressed her low state of mind. Her safe deposit box hid copies of the second series of accounts, diaries listing all the insurance policies claimed and details of bequests left to Fairfield Company and its managers. JF was arrested and it was found that despite his denials the suicide note was found on his hard drive. It was believed that he had thought he had deleted it but had failed to do it properly.
JF was tried and convicted of causing multiple deaths including those of his senior managers, multiple accounts of fraud, identified clearly as a sociopath. JF was not sent to a mental health establishment, but to the maximum secure prison at Long Lartin in Worcestshire. The Serious Fraud Office anonymously received details of JF’s offshore accounts and now continue to seek to reclaim monies through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2000.
Three months later a trio of friends met up in St.Lucia and enjoyed a wonderful holiday together.